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Petunia Dursley
Vernon Dursley Dudley Dursley Lily Potter James Potter Harry Potter Marjorie Dursley |Education = |Occupation = * Clerical Job * Homemaker |Loyalty = }}'Petunia Dursley '(b. Petunia Evans) was the Muggle aunt of Harry Potter and the guardian of Harry when he was growing up. Petunia was the wife of Vernon, the mother of Dudley Dursley and the elder sister of the late Lily Potter. Biography Early Life Petunia was the elder daughter of Mr and Mrs Evans. She had a younger sister named Lily who was born in January 1960. They were raised in Cokeworth. Petunia was very jealous of Lily when she received a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry telling her that she was a witch. Petunia hoped to join her and wrote a letter to Albus Dumbledore asking whether she could join. She received a kind reply explaining why she could not. Petunia continued to be jealous of Lily and her talent, and thought their parents favoured Lily. She wanted no part in the magic world, thought Lily was a freak and wanted a very normal life. Because of this, she and Vernon Dursley were perfect for each other and they eventually married. She and Lily would not see each other for a few years before her death, , Chapter 1 stated that Petunia had not saw Lily for a few years by 1981, meaning it had to be longer than two years.}} but they kept in touch through letters. In June 1980, Petunia and Vernon's only child, Dudley Dursley was born. In July, Petunia's nephew, when Harry Potter was born. For Harry's first birthday, Petunia sent him an ugly-looking plant which Lily noted that Harry hated. It was probably the final time they ever communicated. Guardianship of Harry Potter Petunia hoped that Dudley would never have to know Harry and would prefer that Dudley had normal friends. She rarely spoke to Lily and she had probably not spoken to Lily since Harry's birthday. Petunia would even pretend she was an only child and had no sister. Then, a couple months after Harry's birthday, Petunia and James were killed by Voldemort but Harry had survived because of Lily's sacrifice to save him. Albus Dumbledore knew that Harry best chance of being safe from Voldemort was for him to be able to call a place home that he had a relative close in blood to Lily. Petunia was Harry's only blood relative. The day of the evening Harry was taken to Petunia, she had another perfectly normal day. Dudley was throwing another tantrum when Vernon was going off to work. She spent the day spying on her neighbours, hearing about her one of her neighbour's problems with her daughter. Petunia and Dudley went to the shop, and Dudley kicked Petunia and demanded sweets. Unknown to Petunia, she was being watched that day by Minerva McGonagall and she was shocked by the way they acted. That same day, the wizarding world celebrated Voldemort's downfall and Vernon noticed odd things which he told Petunia about when he was home from work. He asked Petunia whether her nephew's name was Harry because he had heard people speaking about him, but Petunia was unimpressed and simply agreed they may be connected and then went to bed without worry. However, when she woke in the morning to put out a milk bottle, she screamed when she found Harry on her doorstep with a letter explaining James and Lily's death, and that she was now the guardian of Harry. Raising Harry and Dudley Petunia kept the truth about Harry's parents and the magic world from him, telling him that James and Lily has died in a car accident and demanding he never ask about them again. They made him stay in the Cupboard under the Stairs and gave him Dudley's second-hand clothes. However there were many times when Petunia and Vernon would notice strange things Harry would make happen, though Harry never understood why they happened and they punished him in their effort to "stamp out any nonsense". For example, Harry remembered the time Petunia cut Harry's hair in a way that left him nearly bald but keeping a long fringe, and the next day he magically managed to make it go back to the original state and they grounded him for seven days. Harry later managed to shrink a jumper of Dudley's he hated, but Harry managed to persuade Petunia that time that it shrunk in the washing machine. Petunia and Vernon were also upset when Harry managed to jump onto the roof of St Grogory's Primary School when escaping from Dudley. In June 1991, Petunia woke Harry up with a shrill voice when knocking on the door of Harry's cupboard. She ordered Harry to help make bacon and warned him she wanted everything perfect for Dudley's birthday. Petunia and Vernon had brought Dudley many presents, but he received two less than last year. Petunia panicked when Dudley noticed and was about to throw a tantrum, and told him that she would buy him two extra presents when they went out. Petunia was very annoyed when she found out Harry's child-minder could not look after him that day and comforted Dudley who was pretending to wail when she accepted that she be unable to make other arrangement for Harry and he would have to stay with them for Dudley's special birthday treat. Petunia promised she would not let Harry ruin the day. Petunia brought Dudley and Dudley's friend Piers Polkiss ice-cream at the zoo, and hoped they would not have to buy one for Harry, though the ice-cream woman noticed him and they brought Harry a lemon ice-pop. They took them for lunch at the cafe and then went to the reptile house. When Harry made the glass pane vanish while Dudley was leaning on it, and the Boa constrictor escaped, the zoo director made Petunia a cup of tea and apologised. Petunia would not make Harry dinner that night. Petunia was delighted when Dudley was accepted to Smeltings Academy and took him to buy a new school uniform. She cried when she saw him wearing it, thinking he looked very grown up. Petunia would later dye Harry's new school uniform grey, from Dudley's old uniform. The next day, Petunia was shocked when Vernon called her over to see an acceptance letter for Harry from Hogwarts School. They made Dudley and Harry leave the room without letting them see the letter. Petunia was upset they knew where Harry was sleeping, and she and Vernon agreed they were spying on them. Petunia wanted to write back and explain Harry would not be attending the school but Vernon said not to. They needed to pretend they never received the letter. They then agreed that Harry needed to be moved from the cupboard to the second bedroom, and Petunia later told Dudley. Dudley then cried and told her to make Harry leave. The next few days were annoying for the Dursley family. Petunia was annoyed when another letter for Harry arrived with the new room name. Then another three arrived, and Petunia told Vernon when he nailed the mail slot shut she thought it would never work, and on the third day, Petunia was proved right when twelve letters were placed through the side of the door and window instead. The next day, Petunia went to accept the delivery of two dozen eggs through the window and found twenty four letters placed in them. She then shredded the letters in the food processor. When around thirty letters arrived through the fireplace on Sunday, Petunia and Dudley run out the room with their arms over their faces. Vernon then ordered the family to join him in leaving Privet Drive for a while. The next day, Vernon drove to the forest, a plowed field, a bridge and a parking garage which made Dudley ask Petunia whether Vernon had lost the plot. Dudley told her he wanted to go home because The Great Humberto was on that evening. When Vernon returned, smiling, Petunia wouldn't ask what he found. However Vernon then took them to the Hut-on-the-Rock. Petunia found two blankets and made a nice bed for Dudley while letting Harry keep the raggedy blanket. The Keeper of Keys Petunia was woken up at midnight when Rubeus Hagrid knocked down the door. Dudley run to Petunia while Vernon held a gun at Hagrid. He was shocked to find out Petunia and Vernon told Harry nothing about the magic world, and Petunia was frightened when Hagrid was about to tell him. When Vernon told Hagrid not to say anything, but he told him anyway, Harry was shocked to find out Petunia knew. Petunia shrieked and told him of course she knew, because dratted Lily was a witch and she told Harry while everyone was proud of Lily, she knew she was a freak. She then told Harry she knew he would abnormal like Lily and James and then revealed they never died in the car crash. Hagrid then told Harry the truth about everything, before Petunia run and hid in the other room with Vernon and Dudley when Hagrid tried to turn Dudley into a pig. Harry later thought of how the Dursley family would have taken every piece of money from the Potter family vault in Diagon Alley if they knew how knew how rich they really were, because they were unhappy with paying for things for Harry out of their own pocket. Summer of 1991 Petunia would now only see Harry every summer holiday. For the next month before Harry would begin attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Vernon and Petunia would spend the time being both scared and angry with Harry, and would not say a word to him. Petunia would no longer even hoover Harry's room. On the final day of August, Harry announced he was in the room while the family watched TV and told them he needed to be at King's Cross the next day. Vernon and Petunia stared at him and laughed when Harry told them the only thing he knew was he needed to be at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters the next day at eleven, telling Harry there was no platform of the name at King's Cross. They agreed to take Harry, but only because they were taking Dudley to remove the pig's tail by the doctor. The next day, Vernon and Petunia left Harry at Platform Ten, pointing out the platform Harry needs should be in the middle of nine and ten, but "they don't seem to have built it yet". Harry then watched them drive away laughing at him out the window. Petunia should have known about the Platform and how to get to it, but instead abandoned her nephew without helping him. Summer of 1992 In June 1992, Petunia, Vernon and Dudley collected Harry from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Vernon and Petunia banned Harry from using and speaking of magic unless he wanted to get kicked out of the house. The evening that Vernon had an important business meeting, Petunia was angry when Harry threatened Dudley using fake spells and she aimed a frying pan at Harry's head. That evening, Vernon had a plan for the family during the meeting that involved Harry staying in the second bedroom and pretending he does not exist. Petunia politely had to tend to the potential buyer and the buyer's wife, and she hugged Dudley when he invented a stupid complimentary comment to say. Petunia created a special dinner for the guests that included a huge dessert. During the evening, she gave a fake laugh to the guests and Vernon's jokes. However, Dobby ruined the evening when (in an effort to keep Harry from having permission to go back to Hogwarts School) he levitated Petunia's pudding and dropped in across the room and left the guests in shock. However, any hope of securing their investment anyway was lost when a barn owl swooped in deliver a letter to Harry and the guests left in anger. Vernon, Petunia and Dudley now knew that Harry could not use magic at home (Harry's letter having informed them). Vernon put bars on Harry's window, locked him in the second bedroom and installed a cat-flap in the bedroom door for Petunia to put food through for Harry. 3 days later, Petunia was woken up at night by Vernon who was shouting that Harry was escaping. Petunia and Dudley run in the room and saw Harry being driven from the house in a flying Ford Anglia. Harry thought the Dursley family looked dumb-founded. Appearance Petunia was very thin and bony , had blond hair and a horse-face. She was said to have a long neck, which helped her to spy on neighbours. Character Petunia was a bitter woman obsessed by the notion of appearing perfectly normal because she was unable to join the wizarding world. She hated anything out of the ordinary and became a bully to her magical nephew because of that. Petunia was said get upset every time her magical sister Lily was mentioned and struggled in her acceptance of Lily. Not being able to join the wizarding world made her both frightened and envious of magic and in denial of her dream once to be part of that world. However, even though she bullied Harry, called Lily names and often said she had no sister, she still loved them and later lamented to Harry that he not only lost a mother when she was killed, but she also lost a sister, implying that she had hoped to one day make amends with Lily but never had the chance too. She took in Harry even though she could have technically denied taking him in, and let him stay with her for 16 years. Petunia was also nosy and loved to gossip and spy on her neighbours. At home, she was obsessed with everything being neat and tidy. She doted on Dudley to the point of denial of the many shortgivings he had, and the way she raised him led to him being an overindulged bully who demanded he get everything he wanted, and she was blind Dudley's manipulation of her. Behind the scenes * For the festive holidays in December 1991, Vernon and Petunia sent Harry a 50 pence piece. ** In 1992, they sent Harry a toothpick and a note asking if he was able to stay at the school during the summer holidays. Notes and sources Category:Characters Category:Muggles